Dhahabu and Nyota's Story
by Stargazing Writer
Summary: It is a new era in the Pridelands. Kovu and Kiara had their own cubs, the quiet prince Dhahabu and the playful princess Nyota. The royal family couldn't be happier. Life on Pride Rock is perfect. Or is it? A new threat arrives. The young heirs get separated from their pride. Will they reunite with their family and stop the rogues conquerors? Story can also be found in Wattpad.
1. Prologue

Another morning in the savannah. The sunrise painted the mountains, rivers and hills in a bright orange colour. The animals all up early, headed to the Pride Rock.

It's been a few months since the Outlanders and the Pridelanders were united into one pride. Princess Kiara and the former Outlander, now Prince Consort Kovu, became officially mates and brought the next generation in the world.

Kovu stood proudly beside Kiara and looked at her and the new addition to the family. There was not one cub, but two between the golden lioness' paws. The one was a dark golden male that was given the name Dhahabu. His younger sister got her grandma's, Nala, tan colour and the name Nyota. Their gold and star.

Old Rafiki climbed the Pride Rock and neared the couple and their cubs. Probably this would be the last ceremony he would ever do. His apprentice Makini would follow in his steps for the next generations to come.

The mandrill cracked a fruit open and with his finger got some of it's juice to make a marking on both cubs' foreheads. Rafiki then picked them up and headed outside. Kiara and Kovu followed and Simba and Nala did the same.

All animals cheered and then bowed at the sight of the royal cubs. The four lions were so proud. The spirits of the Great Kings were joyed as well and made their presence known, a soft breeze blowing among them. Little Nyota tried to catch it with both paws. Dhahabu at first stared at everyone below and then at the vast Pridelands beyond. He then looked around feeling the breeze. The cub closed his eyes and enjoyed it.

When the ceremony was over, all lions gathered to see the young prince and princess, and of course the grandparents came first.

"Welcome to your kingdom.", Simba said smiling warmly at Dhahabu and Nyota. All lions bowed at them, showing their devotion in the new members of the family.

Back at his tree, Rafiki prepared to make another addition to the story of the Pridelands. The old shaman cracked some more fruits open and got some other materials. He stared at the whole tree. The history of the Pridelands was all here. From the king Mohatu, to Ahadi, to Mufasa. Every important lion of the past was here.

Rafiki's stare fell on the drawing of Kiara and Kovu. Above them were two groups of lions, and they were no others but the Pridelanders and Outlanders, two prides split and now back together. Smiling he then drew two cubs, a golden and a close to white one, near the other two lions.

"And de circle of life continues."

(Words: 449

Pages in draft: 2

Hope you like it so far!)


	2. Chapter 1

Days, weeks and some months passed by quietly. Dhahabu and Nyota grew, always under the careful watch of their parents and pride. They were Kovu and Kiara's first cubs, they didn't want something to happen to them.

Dhahabu, the firstborn, was more quiet. He always did what he was told and was unsure of what to do when he was asked to do something on his own. He wasn't as confident as his sister.

Nyota the second cub, just couldn't sit in one place. Whenever out on a walk they had someone come and keep an eye on her. Sometimes, even her friends were asked to be on the lookout for Nyota! However in reality, she is very soft and can be spooked easily.

As time passed, the royal lessons Kovu and Kiara had, progressed as well. It wouldn't be long until they became king and queen. Kovu was thinking about the lessons Dhahabu would soon have. He hadn't even completed his own, how could he teach his cub about what it is to be king.

"It doesn't harm to tell him the basics. It will actually do good.", Simba told him. Kovu thought about it and the king was right. What could possibly go wrong with teaching him these things? He only worried that, if Dhahabu got an appeal with the first lesson, he would want more. The lion then shook the thought out of his head.

'Everything will go just fine.'

Kovu was up before dawn. He looked at the stars for as long as he could before sunrise. The young lion did it nearly every morning and even Simba joined him sometimes.

When the sky at the horizon began to get a reddish shade, he began heading inside again to get his son. Nyota would be another problem for later.

Kovu found his family snuggled against each other sleeping. He nearly 'awwed' at the sight, but just smiled and neared Dhahabu.

"Hey kiddo. Wake up, it's the day.", Kovu whispered softly.

"Not now dad... I want to sleep...", the cub murmured, rolling to the other side.

"Come on, we'll miss the sunrise. And it's very beautiful you know..."

Dhahabu yawned. "Fine, fine. I'm coming.". He stretched and lazily got up. The golden cub then followed his father outside and on top of the Pride Rock.

Arriving on the top, just on time, the sun began rising in the horizon. Dhahabu glared, not prepared for the sudden light. He soon came over it and stared in awe. It was a beautiful sight indeed.

"Dhahabu, look in front of you. This is the Pridelands. Whatever the light touches is our kingdom.", Kovu began, remembering what he was told by Simba. "One day, it'll be all yours, and you'll do whatever you want.", he smiled looking down at the cub. "Well... Nearly whatever you want, not everything. You'll be responsible for all of this. A king's reign rises and falls just like the sun. With my sunset, your sunrise will follow."

Dhahabu stared at Kovu intently and then the savannah beyond. His ears flattened and felt nervous about what he was hearing. A whole kingdom? Under his care?

The cub began stepping back.

"A king should...", the brown lion began but quickly got interrupted, noticing that his son was no longer by his side. "Dhahabu? Where are you going?"

"I... I don't want to be king.", Dhahabu stuttered, running back in the den, just as Simba was coming out.

Worried, the king made his way to Kovu.

"What happened?"

"I don't know what went wrong. I told Dhahabu what you told me too. He then just left, saying that he doesn't want to be king. Maybe I scared him or something?"

Simba thought about it for a few moments. "Maybe. I knew Dhahabu is under confident and nervous but I didn't expect it to be that bad. I will try talking to him later.", he said and did to leave.

The king then stopped in his tracks and looked back at Kovu grinning. "You know what? I think it's time for your royal lesson."

The other lion sighed and went with Simba

Dhahabu headed back to the den. He didn't really like the idea of having to rule a kingdom. Here he couldn't do something without someone there to guide him, how could he be king all on his own?

The cub saw his mother, already awake, grooming Nyota who struggled to escape. Once spotting Dhahabu, she stopped and the tan cub ran away just to stop a bit further.

"How did your first lesson go?", Kiara asked her son.

"I don't want to become king, mum.", he said looking down.

The golden lioness' eyes widen. "Why?"

Dhahabu shifted his gaze away. He seemed really ashamed and didn't want to answer. Kiara sighed.

"Look Dhahabu... When I was your age, I didn't want to be queen. I didn't like being called princess by everyone, I just believed that with becoming queen, I would become someone that... Wasn't me, that I would pretend someone else. But I realised that it wasn't true. You can rule the Pridelands and be yourself."

The cub shook his head. "No, it... It isn't that..."

"You can always talk to me and your father, you know that.", she smiled to her son.

"Hey mum!", a voice was heard and both turned to Nyota. "Can I go to the waterhole with my friends?", she asked with three other cubs behind her.

"Of course you can. Just be back until the hunting party returns."

"Thanks! Beat you there!", the tan cub said to her friends and they began running down the Pride Rock.

Dhahabu watched as they left. "W-wait for me!", he called out, going after them. He absolutely wanted to avoid this conversation with his mother.

Kiara gazed at him, while he left in concern. She had never seen the cub like that before and that made her really worried.

Later...

Dhahabu followed the other cubs to the waterhole but didn't join in their games. He just by the lake and looked at his reflection.

He really was golden, just a bit darker. His nose was pointy and black like his father's and the tuft of mane on his head was sort of auburn as a mix of dark brown and red Pride lander mane. His eyes were amber just like his mother's.

He really was Kovu and Kiara's son. Destined to be king, just as they were destined to be. One question rung in Dhahabu's mind.

Could he do it?

"Hey, Dhahabu."

The cub turned a bit surprised. It was Simba. The king sat by his grandson.

"Hi grandpa.", Dhahabu said, trying to sound cheerful, but effortlessly.

"Why don't you play with your friends and sister? Is something wrong?"

'There we go again. He already knows. ', the cub thought. Of course Kovu would talk to someone about what happened back on Pride Rock. Despite knowing that Simba already knew, he kept pretending that everything was fine.

"It's ok. Just I don't have the mood to play right now. That's all."

Simba raised a brow. "Then that means something is wrong. What is it?"

Dhahabu sighed exasperated. "Let me guess. Dad already told you about the royal lesson, right?", he said, not being able to take it anymore.

The red maned lion's eyes widen a bit. "No! I just figured...", Simba tried to continue with what he said, but then told the truth. "Yes, he did."

The cub frowned and turned away. "Why he told everyone?", he grumbled and lied down. He felt very disappointed at Kovu right now.

"Will you feel any better if I tell that he told only me?"

Dhahabu didn't respond. Just wagged his tail a little.

Simba now didn't know what he was supposed to say. He had to give a good explanation, without throwing the blame to someone.

"Dhahabu, your father worries about you, that's all.", he began. "Do you know how... Scared he got seeing you like that? Kovu wants you to be... happy."

The cub's head perked up slightly. The king really had a point there, that reached him deeply, because he knew it was true, he couldn't deny it. Now he just had to put this out of his chest.

"I... I was scared."

The other lion didn't say anything. The cub turned to him.

"When dad told me that one day that the Pridelands would be mine... When he told that I would rule all this... When he told that with the end of his reign, mine would begin... I got scared. How will I do this on my own? I just can't do this.", Dhahabu admitted. He nearly teared up, feeling like he wanted to cry.

"Dhahabu...", they heard someone say gently.

"Mum?", the cub said seeing Kiara and then Kovu come to them. They obviously heard the conversation. The two lions stood by their son's sides.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?", Kovu said, nuzzling the cub. "We could talk this out."

Dhahabu seemed relieved by the fact that his parents didn't sound angry, but rather genuinely concerned. He looked at them and then the ground.

"I thought... You would be angry. Everyone expects so much of me and you feel so proud, while I don't feel ready for something that important as becoming king."

"Sweety, how could be angry at you? Everyone feels fear about something like this, even if it doesn't feel like it.", the golden lioness said.

"I also feel scared you know. But just like you, we still have a lot of time until we get to rule the Pridelands. Until then, we will be learning together. Noone said that you have to do this on your own.", Kovu continued, smiling warmly.

"We will always be with you. Whenever you need us...", Simba nodded.

Dhahabu looked at them all. "Really? I don't have to do this on my own?"

Kovu hummed.

"That's good to know."

"That's why we stick together, right?", the king exclaimed and got everyone into a big hug.

"Dad!"

"Seriously?"

"Awkward..."

The other cubs had stopped playing and were watching the scene, like 'awww'.

After a while, he let them go. "How about going home now?"

"Why not? The hunting party must be back by now.", Kiara replied.

"I'm starving...", Dhahabu said.

The family began heading back to Pride Rock, Nyota and the rest of the cubs going with them. There was nothing that could possibly go wrong.

Right?

In the meanwhile...

The Great Desert

Three male lions and about 20 lionesses walked through the scorching desert and rough sand, under the bright sun.

A dark tan lioness neared a dark-red maned lion who stopped in his tracks. He seemed to be leading them. The lion didn't turn to see her.

"Sir, we've been walking for 3 weeks and haven't eaten in 4 days. The lionesses begin to doubt about this mission."

The other male lion, dark caramel coloured with a orange mane came by her side. "Tanga is right. Where are the Pridelands anyways?"

All lions begin to murmur and whisper to each other. The leader kept staring intently at the horizon and a grin began to spread on his face.

"Don't worry brothers and loyal followers... We are very close.", he said very calmly.

One of the lionesses looked where the leader was looking. Indeed in the distance, a green valley could be seen and something like a tall rock.

"He's right! Look!"

Now everyone was becoming more hopeful. Their journey, their starve, their tiring would be all worth it.

"The Pridelands. We're finally coming home..."

(Words: 1940

Pages in draft: 7

Tell me what you think! I'm always open in tips and if you have any ideas, you can recommend them and I'll see if I can fit them in the story.)


	3. Chapter 2- Part 1

3 days passed and Dhahabu was still waiting for the next royal lesson. Not he was now eager to become king, he just knew that he had to. And as the good cub he was, he always did as he was told. He was told he would be king? He would become one.

Each time there was to be a royal lesson, Kovu had his own as an excuse for postponing it. The first time was that the crocodiles refused to share the Big Springs with the hippos (again!). The second one, that wasn't much of a royal lesson, Kovu had to give the hunting party some extra lessons, because the hunts were quite ineffective. As for yesterday, he now had to teach Nyota something!

The cub waited outside the den entrance, hoping that Kovu wouldn't be busy this time. Dhahabu heard some steps from inside and smiled a bit. It wasn't the Prince Consort however. Nyota ran outside with her friends.

"Can't catch me!", a tannish yellow cub, blind in the one eye, named Kipofu, shouted, as she was chased by Nyota, Uhuru and Furaha. Dhahabu then watched as Kipofu fell on a rock she didn't see, face first. Furaha, a male cub with fur nearly white and light brown mane, touched her head. "Got you!".

The young prince rolled his eyes. How immature.

He then turned seeing Kovu come out. The brown lion got a guilty look, seeing how hopeful his cub looked. "I'm sorry Dhahabu, but something occurred and I have to go with Simba."

"Again?"

"I promise, I'll have some free time to give your royal lesson. Now I have to go. Why don't you... Go watch the hunt or... Go to the Hakuna Matata Falls or..."

"I'll just go with Nyota and the others.", Dhahabu said, looking disappointed.

"Yeah... right. I'll see you later.", the lion said, running down the Pride Rock.

Dhahabu sighed as he followed the other cubs. He knew that his father was busy with learning how to be king, something he had to learn too, but he felt like Kovu had no time for him anymore. He always had another thing to do. The young prince didn't even remember the last time his dad spent some real time with him and Nyota.

A while later at the springs...

"Hi there Dhahabu!"

The cub lost in his thoughts, turned to see Uhuru. She was dark brown with blue eyes and had a tuft on top of her head similar to his sister's.

"Why don't you play with us?", she asked.

"I don't have the mood. I want to think."

Uhuru snorted. "You never have the mood. Come on, it'll be fun! We have... Places to go... And people to do. What do you have to lose?"

Dhahabu sighed. "What do I got to lose?"

"Great! We have already began playing hide and seek. Now we have to find a place to hide, before Furaha starts cheating again."

The golden cub looked over to a tree where the light coloured one was hiding his face, covering the sides with his paws. He then took the one off to peek around a bit.

"I see you over there!", Uhuru yelled. She then nudged Dhahabu to go on.

The two cubs ran around the waterhole area, trying to find a place to hide. They looked under a protruding rock.

"Find somewhere else to hide!", Kipofu said from in there.

On top of a tree...

"This hideout is caught!", Nyota said.

"Come on, there is enough place for all of us!"

"Furaha will find us. Go!"

Dhahabu growled silently and left.

"Down here!", Uhuru pointed to a projection in the wall to the river bank. "It must be enough for both of us."

"I'm coming to find you!", Furaha's voice got heard in the distance.

"Quick!"

They jumped down and stayed put. They were very close to each other, making them feel a bit awkward. Dhahabu and Uhuru didn't hesitate however to stick even closer, hearing the seeker looking near their hideout.

When he left, the two looked at one another and accidentally their noses touched. Dhahabu immediately backed away and Uhuru got a surprised look.

"We didn't just..."

"We did?"

"Maybe?..."

"Just forget it."

"Yeah."

The cubs were about to leave, because the projection didn't seem very safe. Steps and voices got heard from down the banks. Dhahabu peeked from the edge. There were three male adult lions some lionesses. He hadn't seen them around before, so he supposed that they were rogues.

"Rest, my pride, rest. We have a lot of work to do later. We will show them who is the real owner of the Pridelands.", a lion with a dark red mane said. One of the lions, one brown- tan one neared him. "I never doubted a moment, Moto."

"Oh really?", one of the lionesses came over to them. "Says the lion who complained about the Pridelands being just a part of the fairy tales we were told as cubs."

"Hey, don't you dare doubt me!"

"And who prevents me?"

The male who seemed to be the leader came in between them.

"You better stop, before a fight begins. And I don't want conflicts in my pride."

"But Moto! Moja is doubting me!"

"And why do you even care Mwasi?"

The brown lion named Mwasi looked away ashamed.

"And you Moja. Don't forget who is the boss here. Mwasi, Nguvu and I are the true princes of the Pridelands, even 8 generations later and we must be united if we are to get what belongs to us. So no fights. Am I clear?", Moto said calmly.

The lioness bowed. "Yes... My king..."

Uhuru looked at the scene confused. "Prince? The Pridelands belongs to them? What are they talked about?"

"We must find my grandparents. They will know what to do."

They climbed out of the cliff and went to find someone of the Pride. No lions were to be found. Everyone was missing, probably on Pride Rock.

Great. Now they would waste time running there and by then, the rogues might be making a move. They had no other choice however. They had to help the Pridelands.

(Words: 1035

Pages in draft: 4)


End file.
